


I’ll make the world safe and sound for you

by TaraHarkon



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Clones, F/M, Parenthood, Single Parents, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-03-09 17:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraHarkon/pseuds/TaraHarkon
Summary: Barry makes a mistake with the cloning tanks. Istus moves a thread of fate. The impossible comes true and nothing will ever be the same.A blupjeans baby fic





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BoPeepWithNoSheep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoPeepWithNoSheep/gifts).



> credit for the cloning tank baby idea goes to Bopeepwithnosheep. Thanks a ton for letting me use it.

The cloning tank in the corner of the cave was starting to give him bonus anxiety on top of the anxiety he was already feeling over being alone, over the fact that his wife was still missing, and over the fact that he had no idea why his memory had started to fade on the Starblaster. Thankfully, Barry had had the wherewithal to go back to the ship and grab a few things once he'd risen as a lich but with each subsequent trip, he began to notice things. His family, the crew he'd been living with for the last century, had also vanished. So that's why his spell work was shaky as he worked on adding his own genetic sample to the vat of brackish green fluid, and why he was using Lup's spare wand instead of his own. They'd crafted it out of one of her bones not too long after they'd become liches, mostly because they could. He had a matching one made from his own clavicle. But today, he was using hers, more out of comfort than anything else.

Each little sound outside his cave refuge was the Raven Queen's servants hunting for him again, or the strange magical signature he'd sensed a few times of someone else trying to track him. Another twig cracked and his concentration broke mid-word, the wand slipping from the grasp of his mage hand to slip into the cloning fluid.

Barry darted forward, casting the spell again as quickly as he could, grabbing for the wand to pull it out of the tank, a whispered chorus of _fuck fuck fuck_  hanging in the air. By the time his spell had gotten a solid grasp on it, though, it was partially dissolved by the spell magical agent that had dissolved his own blood sample. Eyes widening, Barry Bluejeans realized he had two problems. The first was that it was absolutely going to take him extra time before he had a corporeal form again. The second was that this clone, meant for him to use, was now irreversibly contaminated with a second genetic sample. With Lup's genetic material. With both of their genetic material.

He stared into the fluid in the tank and wondered. It shouldn't work with two samples. Probably. Even if it did, it wouldn't have a soul. Right? That was ridiculous, of course it wouldn't. He was a necromancer, not a god. He couldn't just go around making souls.

What he didn't know was that a goddess had her eye on the fluid in that tank, a quiet goddess who had recognized the unusual threads suddenly dropped into her pattern. She knew a great many things that Barry Bluejeans did not. And she decided in that moment to act. A little nudge, just sliding a thread that would have been dropped into another place. Certainly, it would make Barry's life a great deal different. This one moved stitch would change the world.

* * *

Four months. That was how long the clone tank was supposed to take. Four months. But by a month into the process, Barry could see that what he had thought was a non-viable clone process was taking. A small form was growing in the brackish water. He'd left it out of curiosity, just to see if it would take, and now that it had, he needed to know if it would go the whole way. How much could it develop? What would happen when the four months were up? If it was non-viable, as he was expecting, he would just clean up the tank and start again with a new sample of genetic material and grow his own clone like he'd initially planned. For now, though, he wanted to keep going with this, for science.

Two months in and he was starting to see the little details coming in. The specimen had a rounded face, but with evidence of high cheekbones, slightly pointed little ears, long limbs. A half-elf, certainly. He hovered in front of the tank looking in, his eyes on those tiny pointed ears. Then he turned deliberately away, shoving down his thoughts of what could have been. This was a non-viable specimen. A scientific curiosity and nothing else. 

Four months in, he was steeling himself to open the tank and clean it out. The experiment was over and he needed to get back on track. Using his mage hand, he began to remove the specimen from the tank. It was certainly an interesting discovery, seeing that it could be used to mix samples. If he ever needed that, it could be useful. 

That was about when the infant opened its eyes and began to cry loudly at the suddenly exposure to air. Barry screamed and only barely managed to keep his magical grip on it. He got it onto the cot and floated over, eyes wide as he looked down at the crying baby. It was bigger than a newborn, that was for sure. More like a baby that was at least a few months old. There was a little fuzz of brown hair like his, but Lup’s eyes and small ears that came to points and the small curled and tufted tail that all elves had and some half elves did as well. He cast a minor illusion in the air, just a few lights to keep its attention while he scrambled for a plan. 

First thing was first, he had to make sure this was life and not a simple animation. If it was animation, then he would dispel it. But if this baby had an actual soul, an actual animus giving it life... Well, then things would be very different. He focused his magic, scanning for the animus force as he'd learned so long ago in his most basic necromancy classes. There it was, tangled all throughout this small form. A perfect little soul.

Then he looked down at the baby in front of him again. It wasn't crying now, instead it was reaching up towards lights and laughing. He would need to find some milk and make some sort of crib. He would also need a blanket and clothing and books and-

Barry stopped, suddenly realizing what he was doing. All of his plans would have to change. He could still search for Lup, but he would have to be more careful. He could still try to find out what had happened to the crew, but he would have to be sure that this little girl had somewhere safe to grow up. And that definitely wasn't a cave he'd liberated from a bunch of gerblins. They would stay here until he'd grown himself a body and then he'd have to get creative from there. He would also have to expand heavily on the recordings he'd been making for himself for when he made his own clone, assuming the memory erasure was still in effect. 

She would also need a name. 

He didn't have something to fall back on. He and Lup hadn't exactly talked about what they would name a child if they ever had one. Neither of them had thought it would ever happen. Between the Hunger and basic biological concerns, it hadn't seemed like a possibility. That meant he didn't have a name he could just fall back on for her. And Lup wasn't particularly fond of most of the relatives she'd talked about here and there, except for their aunt. But Lup and Taako had never called her anything other than Auntie. There was one name though... But maybe not the full name. A nickname? He hesitated for just a moment and then did his best to smile despite his skeletal lich form.

"Hey there, sweetheart. I uh... I guess I'm gonna be your dad. And uh... and I guess we're gonna have to figure out all of that together, huh?" Pause. "So... I hope that's okay with you... Lena."

* * *

Four months later, give or few a couple days, Barry Bluejeans stepped out of the tank in the corner of a cave, confused and disoriented. A pair of jeans and a shirt hung over the back of a chair along with a pair of boxers and he reached for them unthinking. His head was pounding. Where the fuck was he and how much had he drank last night? Then he heard a voice coming from the pocket of the jeans he'd pulled on.

_"Okay, I know this is... this is gonna be a lot to hear, but you need to trust me here, Barry. I'm you from five minutes ago. And I know you're probably... you're probably disoriented? And you're probably confused? And there's a weight in your chest that you don't understand. But I know what that is, I know who that weight is for, and if you listen to me, then you will too. But first thing's first, get dressed and go check on your daughter. Her name is Lena and she's probably hungry. Take care of that and then get the coin out of your pocket. We'll talk about the next step then."_

Barry scrubbed at his face for a moment and then pulled his shirt and glasses on. The coin was right about one thing, he sure was confused. When did he get a daughter? But if he was having enough trouble with his memory that he'd made a recording to help himself then it was possible, he supposed. Dressed, he looked around the cave he'd woken up in. There were a few things here that didn't make sense, maps that seemed smudged and dirty, a note he couldn't read, a red robe hanging on a peg that felt oddly familiar. Then he spotted the crib in the corner and the toddler sitting in it. She was laughing and reaching towards him and he felt a burst of warmth in his chest. He lifted her out, holding her close as he looked around for a bottle of milk or something. There were a few bottles of goat milk submerged in an underground spring at the back of the cave. A clean cup sat beside it and he carefully filled it with milk, doing his best to work one handed while he braced Lena on his hip.

That done, he sat on the floor and held the cup to help her drink. She wasn't quite old enough for most solid food, he was pretty sure of that. But maybe he could get her some fruit and cut it up? Or maybe some oatmeal? Could babies eat oatmeal? He knew they couldn't have honey because of botulism in it, but oatmeal should be fine? Looking around the cave a bit while she drank her milk, Barry quickly realized there wasn't much here. A trunk with maybe another change of clothes for him and a few for her, a few bottles of milk, a bed, a table, a crib. 

He fished the coin out of his pocket and examined it, trying to figure out if he knew where it had come from. Lena started to reach for it and he pulled it away.

"That's not for you, sweetheart."

Lena giggled and kept reaching, even as the coin began to speak again. Barry nearly dropped it in surprise but instead set it on the table where he could listen and not have to keep it away from his little girl.

_"Alright, if this part is playing that means you've taken care of that. So, here's the deal, Barry, you know you need to keep searching for... for what you lost. That's important. But you also know that you can't do that and keep Lena safe at the same time. Not without a better base of operations. There's a bag of gold in the chest and a cart outside. Pack everything up and head into town. It's called Phandalin. If you look around there, you should be able to find a house. Maybe stay in the inn for a couple nights first. We'll figure out how to find her later. Er... To find... You know, the person that..." There was a long pause and then Barry heard himself go quiet. "To find Lena's mom. I don't know if you got that but that's it. Now get moving before it's dark enough. There's gerblins in the area and you need to get gone before dark."_

Barry stood then, looking around at the things he needed to pack. It shouldn't take long. He set Lena back in her crib and set a carved wooden duck beside her. He didn't know where that had gone from but she grabbed it immediately, hugging it while she watched him and babbled in her baby talk. Good, she would be alright while he got the cart packed. And while he tried to remember if he knew anything about the woman he was supposed to be looking for, if he knew anything about his daughter's mother.


	2. Chapter 2

The cottage on the edge of town was small but sturdy, with just three rooms to and a root cellar. A ladder rested against the side of the building and Barry wondered for a moment if he could climb it and lay on the roof. It would be nice to watch the stars from there if he could. Later, he would check that out, but first thing's first. He needed to get the furniture into the house and get things set up before they headed back into town for some shopping. He'd figured out how to turn some sturdy cloth into a sling so he could hold Lena against his chest and keep his hands free for things like groceries but that wouldn't particularly help with rearranging furniture. And that meant he had to get creative. He pulled her crib down and pushed it against the side of the cottage before setting her in it with her duck. Then he went to grab the chest and drag it inside. It wasn't perfect but it should be alright for a few minutes at least. 

When he came back outside to check on her again, he was startled to find a halfling woman standing in front of his house at the side of the crib. She was leaning in, a smile on her face as she wiggled her fingers in front of Lena. When Barry stepped out, she turned and grinned up at him.

"Folks downtown said we had a new neighbor who might need a hand with things, what with him having a baby and no other hands to help. So, I figured I'd come lend a hand. I'm Noelle."

Barry relaxed almost immediately. 

"I'm Barry. Her name is Lena. And... and honestly, I'd love a hand if you don't mind. I uh... I barely managed getting everything into the cart and I uh... I hadn't gotten to figuring out how I was going to get my bed up to the second floor."

Noelle gave him a laugh and then headed to the cart.

"Just tell me where things go and we'll get everything set up right fast."

* * *

A few hours later, they had the little house to rights and Noelle had set a jug of cider on the table. ("As a welcome present, and a bit of advertising. Redcheek Cider is the best around.") Lena was crawling across the floor, exploring her new home with all of the excitement an infant could muster. The next step would be going to pick up groceries, Barry supposed, but it was already late enough he would have to wait til the next day.

"Thanks again, Noelle. For everything. If uh... if you ever need anything, just let me know, alright?"

Noelle grinned and leaned back in her chair.

“It’s nothing, really. Just being neighborly. That’s how we are in Phandalin.” Then she stretched. “You know, you never did say where you were from before.”

Static hummed in his mind for a long moment as he sought the answer. Eventually, he shrugged.

“Sort of near the Felicity Wildes? It’s not a lot to uh... to talk about.”

Noelle took in the distant look on his face and then looked down at the baby on the floor, clearing putting pieces together in her mind. Then she nodded.

“Sometimes it’s like that, I guess. But I should be headed back to the farm. Stop by sometime and meet the family. Let me know how you liked the cider.”

As she headed towards the door, Barry got up and scooped Lena onto his arms. Then he went to open the door for Noelle.

“Absolutely. I’ll see you around, alright?”

She waved as she hit the dirt road that headed back towards Phandalin proper and Barry sighed, closing the door as he turned to head back inside. He knew what that look was, though he wasn’t entirely sure why he was so sure it had been leveled his way before. Noelle was assuming Lena’s Mom had left them. A human raising a half-elf, no elf in sight. It made sense in a way but the weight in his chest told him that was anything but true. There had been real love here, he was sure of it. Even if he didn’t remember. But he couldn’t think on that more. Lena was trying to grab his glasses again, making her happy baby noises.

“Come on, let’s go change your diaper and get you some PJs.”

He kissed the top of her head and made his way up the stairs. The top floor was split into two rooms, though he’d set up her crib in his room for now. He set her on the bed and reached for the basket of baby clothes. There was a red romper there that she could sleep in, one that was nice and warm with her feet covered and little mittens for her hands. Then he grabbed another of the cloth diapers and set about getting her ready for bed. Tomorrow, they would have a lot more to do around the house to start the long process of turning it into a home. And he would need to start getting everything he’d dragged from the cave out and set up in the spare room for now. Those maps and papers were his best bet for finding Lena’s mother and he wasn’t going to give up until he had something to show for it.

Lena giggled the entire time he was trying to button up her romper, squirming every which way. In the end, Barry had to reach for the stuffed toy rabbit she loved to keep her distracted. She hugged it tight while he finished getting her ready for bed and then scooped her up again.

"Alright, sweetheart, ready to sleep?"

She hadn't mastered the art of the common language yet, though, so her only answer was to snuggle as close as she could and close her eyes. Barry's smile turned soft and instead of taking her to her crib, he settled on the bed. 

"Alright, but just one story," he murmured, pretending she'd argued. "Let's see... uh... once upon a time, there was a...a kingdom far, far away with a beautiful princess. And she was smart and kind too..."

He didn't make it the whole way through the story before Lena was fast asleep. Barry waited just a bit longer before heading to lay her in her crib almost reluctantly. He stood there for a long moment, just watching her sleep with her mittened hands in little fists up by her mouth and a light brown curl of hair around the pointed tip of her ear. She was perfect. His entire world was right here, condensed down into one tiny scrap of personhood. After a long moment, he turned away to go get his own pajamas out of the chest. It was time for bed.

* * *

The pantry and the root cellar were stocked now, the small garden tilled and ready to have the seedlings he'd bought transplanted in, and Barry leaned over a map of Faerun while he ate his sandwich. Somewhere here, there had to be a clue. He would take anything right now. All he knew was that he was looking at black circles overlaying the world along with little red X's. He wasn't sure what any of it meant and he hadn't exactly left himself notes. It was frustrating. He picked Lena up from where she'd been playing under the table and sighed.

"I don't suppose you see something I don't."

She squirmed, wanting to go back to her toys, and he acquiesced. Once she was set back on the floor, she grabbed her rabbit and pulled it over, sitting at his feet. He hadn't really been expecting answers from her but he wished that just this once he could have gotten some. How was he supposed to find a woman he couldn't remember? He didn't know her name or her face or anything other than that she was presumably an elf. It was frustrating. It was heartbreaking. 

Lena started to tug on his pant leg and he looked down. He could put the maps away for now, just until she was a little older. Just until Lena was old enough to understand what he was doing and what they were looking for. He sat on the floor and she crawled into his lap, shoving her rabbit towards his face.

"Oh, can I have your bunny? Is that what you wanted?"

He reached to take the rabbit from her and then laughed as she pulled it back.

"It's okay, you don't have to share if you don't want to."

She pressed the toy into his hand then and he smiled.

"Well, thank you, Lena."

This right here was all he needed. When she was older, then they would figure out the rest. For now, he would focus on here and now. There was another knock at the door and Barry looked up, smiling as he saw one of the kids from the town. She was the baker's daughter, bringing by a basket of muffins and a loaf of bread. There hadn't been any left by the time he'd made it by and she'd promised him someone would bring it by. Carrying Lena, he went to the door to take the basket and meet another of his neighbors.

* * *

By the time Lena was walking and talking, Barry had settled into life in Phandalin. It was quiet and he had a fairly good garden going now. Lena was starting to learn how to help with it, though she hadn't quite mastered the art of telling the difference between vegetables and weeds. That was where they were today, working on yet another patient explanation of which plants were friends and which ones belonged in the compost heap. He didn't really expect her to understand at this point, she was still only a toddler, but Barry figured if he explained it often enough, she would understand by the time she was old enough to do chores alone.

"So, we won't throw out any more tomato plants, okay?"

She giggled, eyes bright as she leaned in to look at the plant Barry was pointing at. Then she nodded excitedly.

"Okay, Daddy! 'Matoes are good. Not weeds."

They knelt together in the dirt, carefully replanting the plants she'd pulled in her eagerness to help. Nearby, there were a few strawberries that were nearly ripened and there was a basket nearby for her to finish picking them. She was getting good at that and he was pretty sure it was a good hand-eye coordination thing, probably. Or at least, he could use it as a way to try and decide whether she was going to need glasses like him or... The thought trailed off. He couldn't remember if her mother wore glasses. Barry sighed softly and reached for the berry basket.

"Here, let's finish up and then... how would you like to go to the bookstore? I heard they got a whole new shipment from Neverwinter."

Lena got up as quickly as she could, practically running towards the strawberry plants.

"Books!"

It was amazing how quickly she could turn his mood right around. It would've been so easy to let himself be overcome with the sorrow that characterized so much of his past. So much of it was blank, so much missing, but one genuine smile from Lena and a quiet reminder that she was his little girl and that was all that really mattered and he was back on the road to smiles of his own. 

And with a quiet chorus of 'books books books', they set about picking the last the ripe berries while Barry showed her the different colors to reinforce one more time which ones were red and ripe and which ones weren't.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena ran ahead of Barry, laughing with both her arms out like she was flying. Just before she could step off the curb, he caught her around the waist and scooped her up in his arms. They were only a few steps away from the bookstore and a woman stood at the window looking in. She turned, her inscrutable gaze settling on him and Lena for a long moment. She wore a dark blue gown and held and white oak staff in one hand. And something about her felt oddly familiar. For a moment, he wondered if perhaps she was the person he had been looking for but another glance told him no. Round ears, she was as human as he was. And she seemed frozen in place, staring at him.

But Lena broke the silence, wiggling in his arms as she waved at the woman.

"Hi! Did you want books too?"

The woman smiled then, seeing to relax.

"I was considering getting a novel or two. Do you and your dad like to read?"

Barry adjusted his grip on his daughter, balancing her on his hip.

"Yeah." He seemed to relax as well now that she wasn't giving him that unreadable look. "Someone helped out in the garden this morning so we're getting a few new books to read."

Lena nodded excitedly.

"I only put the weeds in the pile! I put the matoes back."

The woman chuckled quietly, even her laughter full of gravitas.

"Well, that certainly deserves at least a few books." Then she met Barry's eyes again. "Would you mind overly if I joined you?"

Barry shrugged and opened the door to the bookshop.

"Of course not. I'm Barry, by the way. And this is my daughter, Lena."

Lena immediately held up three fingers and grinned.

"I'm three!"

The woman nodded slightly, as if to say she knew that somehow.

"My name is Lucretia." There was a long beat of silence, a silence that was nearly uncomfortable. It was as though she was waiting to see if he was going to react. When he didn't, she nodded and moved into the shop. "What sort of books do you like, Lena?"

The little girl smiled as her father put her down and she immediately went to a tall shelf and pointed up.

"The ones with stars! Sometimes, when I'm really good, we sit up and look at the stars."

Lucretia reached over Lena's head for a picture book and then held out to the child.

"Have you ever read about the gods who put the stars there?"

Lena shook her head and took the book with both hands, hugging it against her chest. Turning, she looked up at her father.

"Daddy, can we get the star book? It's a new star book!"

Barry laughed.

"Of course we can." Then he mouthed the word 'thanks' to Lucretia. "Come on, Lena, let's see if they got in the book I was looking for."

She nodded and followed after him, the large book overlapping her chest as she hugged it, the chant of 'books books books' back on her lips. Lucretia watched them go, a little smile on her lips. She didn't understand where the child had come from, but she was glad that Barry wasn't alone.

* * *

Back at home that night and long after Lena had been read to and tucked into bed, Barry found himself wondering about the woman at the bookstore. There was something about her that was so very familiar and he was sure what it was. Like he'd seen her before somewhere and he just couldn't place where. He found himself sitting at the kitchen table, drumming his fingers on it while his coffee cool and he tried to think. But there was no possible explanation, nothing there that made sense. After a long moment, he got up and went to his office. If nothing else, he could grab a notebook from up there and start taking some notes on the odd things he encountered. Like Lucretia, like the coin in his pocket. 

He was sitting back at the table, fidgeting with that coin while he made his notes when it started to talk.

_"Alright, Barry, if you're hearing this one, it means you found a woman named Lucretia. And here's the thing, you're going to want to trust her but you absolutely can't. She knows why you can't remember Lena's mom. She was involved somehow. Don't worry about the details just yet. Just know that she knows things and under not circumstances can you trust her. Don't try and fight her. You'll really regret doing that, I promise you. Just avoid her, alright?"_

All he could do for a long while was stare at the coin. Now. _Now_  it was telling him not to trust Lucretia. Now! After he'd met her and talked to her and honestly really liked her. And he'd introduced her to Lena. It wouldn't be hard for her to figure out where they lived if she wanted to. Hell, everyone in Phandalin knew the two of them. 

This was so very bad and he had no idea what to do about it. It wasn't like they could uproot. Then he stopped himself. No, they didn't need to leave Phandalin. He just had to make sure that if this Lucretia came back, he knew and he was ready.

* * *

Lucretia dropped onto the bed in the inn she was staying in that night and put her head in her hands. Barry. She had found Barry. And he had a child. A little girl who looked so very much like Lup. How was it possible? Had he found Lup somehow? But no, that didn't make any sense. If he'd found Lup, he would have to remember and he obviously hadn't remembered anything when he'd seen Lucretia. Otherwise... otherwise he would have known who she was.

Gods, it hurt to see one of them and not have them know her. It was awful. As awful as it was getting up every morning and seeing Davenport... the way he was now. But if little Lena Bluejeans wasn't Lup's child, then who was her mother? Barry was a talented necromancer when he was working with the full deck but even he couldn't create a child from whole cloth. Right? No, that certainly wasn't within his skillset. And either way, he didn't know he was a necromancer. Or a lich. As far as he was concerned, he was just a normal human man with an unremarkable past. And a daughter.

She kept finding herself caught up on that fact. Barry. Their Barry. Barold who had to be taught to swim. Barry Bluejeans who didn't own a single pair of pants that weren't denim until their year in Legato when he finally got a suit. Barry who had taken forty-seven years to confess his love. And now he had a toddler. 

And thanks to her, he was raising that child alone. 

But where the hell had she come from? Finally, Lucretia stood. She couldn't keep hashing through the same two thoughts over and over again, building herself deeper and deeper into a morass of emotions. No, she needed to do something, that was the only way she could actually cope with all of this. 

Lup would have been so happy to raise a child with Barry.

Clearly, Lucretia needed to find someone who could watch over them, make sure that Barry and Lena were alright. It would need to be someone cunning and subtle, someone she could trust, someone who would stick by them without seeming to and no matter what happened. And in her journeying, there was only one person she could think of. It would be perfect, really. After all, Cameron McDonald also had a young grandson around Lena's age and he'd been talking about getting out of the adventuring business so he could focus on raising the boy. That would be a much better course of action than asking him to come to Wonderland with her.


	4. Chapter 4

The new neighbors were moving in. Barry could see it from the upstairs window of his home. Not that he'd figured out which ones actually were the people moving in. He had suspicions that the little boy he'd seen exploring in the yard was one of them but none of the adults quite looked like they went with the half-elven boy in the yard. If nothing else, Barry hoped the little boy was moving in. Lena could do with a friend close to her own age. There were other kids in Phandalin, sure, but not all that many out here on the edges of town. Maybe later, once everything had calmed down, he could take Lena over and meet the new neighbors. Maybe he should bake a pie. That was the neighborly thing in little towns like this, right? Baking a pie and bringing it over? Probably.

He scooped his daughter up in his arms and carried her down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Come on, Lena. We're gonna go make a berry pie."

Lena giggled and the moment he put her back down, she ran to grab her little red apron that hung on a peg by the stove. She looped it over her head and left the ties trailing as she grabbed his blue one and ran it over.

"Here, Daddy!"

He grinned and took it with one hand, ruffling her hair with the other.

"That's right, baby. Because we gotta stay clean while we cook."

He pulled his apron on and tied it in place before kneeling down to secure hers. She ran to grab the pie tin out of a cabinet while he reached for the other ingredients kept high on a shelf. Lena loved to cook and Barry was always glad to encourage the things she enjoyed. It just surprised him sometimes the things she found she liked, particularly this. She'd also started to show a very basic grasp of magic, which he was extremely interested to pursue if she wanted. He hoped she would be when she was a little older.

She scrambled up onto a stool and set the pie tin on the counter before grabbing her spatula, specially sized for small hands. She bounced a little, eager to start stirring as Barry pouring ingredients into the large glass bowl. He measured the flour first, showing her once again how he counted up the lines on the side of the measuring cup. Then into the bowl it went. The rest of the ingredients followed and then came the messy party, stirring it all together and rolling out the dough. That done, it was time to get it into the oven and start on the berry filling.

"Have you seen the new neighbors yet, Lena?"

Lena shook her head a little. Then she paused and nodded.

"I saw a little boy and a grandpa. Can they be my friends?"

Barry chuckled, checking the amount of sugar he'd added to the pot.

"That's who we're making the pie for, baby. And hopefully, we'll both be friends with them."

A few hours later, the pie was cooling in a window and Barry had gotten Lena changed into a clean dress, her curly hair tied back into a braid. She grabbed her favorite bear and hugged him close as she watched out the window for some sign of when the new neighbors might not be busy. When she saw the little boy walk out into the yard again, she started bouncing up and down.

"Daddy! Now! Now!"

Barry looked up from washing dishes and grabbed a dishtowel to quickly dry his hands. He threw a jacket on and grabbed the pie from where it was cooling.

"I'm coming, Lena. I'm coming. Grab a jacket, okay? It's chilly out."

But she had already opened the door and was running out into the yard.

"I'm not cold!" She bolted to the fence, scrambling half up it with her bear still held tight in one hand. "Hi! I'm Lena! You're gonna be my new best friend!"

Barry almost choked laughing. Lena was at her most imperious and excited and the little half-elf boy standing in the next yard over was staring up at her through his thick glasses like he had no idea what to do or say. Then he blinked twice and held out his hand.

"Hello! I'm Angus McDonald." Then he sniffed. "You made a pie."

Barry held it up with a little smile.

"Just a welcome to the neighborhood. I don't suppose there's a grownup home?"

Angus hesitated for a moment but then the door opened behind him and an older human man walked out, leaning heavily on a cane. 

"Hello there, young man. I'm Cameron McDonald and this is my grandson, Angus. It's lovely to meet you."

* * *

They grew up together, Angus and Lena. They played together, learned together, spent their time together. And unbeknownst to any of them, other than Cameron McDonald, of course, every month, Madame Director of the Bureau of Balance received a report on the small Bluejeans family. Every month, she scoured those reports, treasuring them as the closest thing she had to her family, other than Davenport anyway. She tucked the reports away, as hidden as the rest of the things from her life before were. She couldn't risk anyone finding out about the small family on the edge of Phandalin that was so important to her.

* * *

Lena was out of bed long before Barry was most days and today was no exception. She bolted down the stairs, grabbed the smaller of the two denim jackets that hung by the door, and slung it on as she ran for the fence between the two yards. The few years since Angus and his Grandpa had moved in next door had made both children taller, had seen them lose baby teeth and master tying their own boots. Lena scrambled over the fence, her tail flicking out as she used it for counterbalance. She dropped down on the other side and ran not to the door but to the backyard where she could see up to Angus' open window. A rope ladder hung from the window and she grinned, clambering up it. Angus looked up with a start when she dropped in through the window and then grinned.

They had always found it weird growing up that Lena had a tail and he didn't but Lena's Dad had explained that some half-elves had tails and some didn't, and Angus' Grandpa had just nodded his agreement. Though they never saw any other half-elves with tails like Lena's. That was alright though, because it helped her do all sorts of things that involved climbing and balancing.

"Did you get the newest book?"

Angus asked with excitement, holding up his copy of _Caleb Cleveland and the Secret Tunnel_. Lena shook her head and dropped onto the bed next to him, trying to read over his shoulder.

"Not yet. Is it good?"

He closed the book with a snap, pushing her back.

"You can't start from the middle!"

"Well that's okay, I got something way, way better than a mystery book."

Lena stuck her tongue out at him and then she reached to pull something out of the back pocket of her jeans. She held it out and Angus' eyes went wide. She was holding a wand. A real wand, if a bit smaller than the ones the grown ups used. He reached for it and she pulled her hand back.

"Can you cast any spells yet?"

She nodded excitedly.

"Daddy taught me a whole cantrip. I can make light."

Angus laughed.

"We're _half-elves_ , Lena. We can see in the dark."

She shoved him gently and he had to catch himself to keep from falling off the edge of his small bed.

"Yeah, but we can see clues better if there's light. Now do you wanna go find a _real_  mystery, or not?"

Angus scrambled to his feet, adjusting his glasses as he moved.

"I need to grab my detective kit. Where are we gonna look?"

Lena was already moving back towards the window, swinging herself out onto the rope ladder. Then she grinned back at Angus.

"In town, where else? Or maybe... Betcha there's something up in that mine."

Angus froze, one hand wrapped around his magnifying glass.

"Lena... There's gerblins in the mine. We can't go there."

She grinned at him wickedly, tail flicking.

"Why not? You scared?"

That was the secret word, as always, that got Angus McDonald to jam his whole detective kit into a bag and throw it on before following her down the ladder as fast as he could go. Then the pair of them ran across the fields towards the hills just outside Phandalin, where the Phandelver Mine waited for them.


End file.
